I was wondering about that, too. One of the reasons for using the balloon is that when it inflates it presses the plaque against the artery walls, keeping it in place while it opens up the flow. Seems dangerous to break calcium deposits up and let the pieces run around in the body until they find another spot to plug up.
yup, that and a stent...
This procedure is done in the leg arteries. Any embolization that occurs will be only distal (towards the feet). There is no chance of brain embolization. Embolization can and does occur with most endovascular interventions (angioplasty, atherectomy, stenting). We do have a method to prevent embolization, an embolic protection device which is a type of retrievable net that’s placed distal to the intervention.